Seed-sower



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. S. FIELD.

SEED SOWBR. No. 350,821. Patented Oct. 12, 1886.

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SEED-SOWER.

`SPIEECJIPIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,821, dated October 12, 1886.

Application filed July 29, 1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN S. FIELD, of Racine, in the county of Racine, and in the State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Force-Feed Seed- Sowers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in broadcast seed-sowers;'

andit consists in certain peculiarities of construction, as will be fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a vertical transverse section of my seeder; Fig. 2, a detail view of the clutch mechanism, Fig. 3, a horizontal section on line y y, Fig. l; Fig. 4, a detail view of the cut-off plate; Fig. 5, an inverted detail View of the seed-passages, Fig. 6, a plan View of the delivery-shell; and Fig. 7, a horizontal section on line x x, Fig. l.

Referring by letter to the drawings, AA represents a right-angular frame that supports the operative elements of my seeding-machine, said frame being designed for attachment to the rear of an ordinary farm-Wagon. Suit. ably secured to the frame A are brackets B C, each provided with bearings a for a horizontal shaft, D, the latter having loosely journaled thereto at one end a sprocket-wheel, E, that is designed to have a chain-connection, F, with a similar wheel that is usually made fast to the rear axle of the vehicle to which my device may be attached. Any arm, G, offsetted at b, is also loosely journaled to the shaft D, immediately adjacent to the inner side ofthe wheel E, and to this arm is pivotally united another arm, H, that carries a paWl, I, said wheel being provided with a recessed projection, c, that engages the upper end of the latter arm.

When the vehicle moves forward, the pivotal arm H is carried by the loose sprocketwheel in the direction of the dotted arrow, Fig. 2, until the pawl I comes into engagement with a ratchet-wheel, K, keyed to the shaft D, contiguous to the part G. This engagement of the pawl and ratchet imparts motion to the shaft D, and through the medium of suitable gear to other parts of the machine, as will be hereinafter more fully de- Serial No. 209,420. (No model.)

thereby automatically disengage the pawl I from the ratchet K, and the arm H coming in contact with a flange or stop, el, on the part G, both will be carried around with said sprocketwheel, thereby preventing the working of the seeding mechanism, and consequent Waste of seed, during such time as the vehicle may continue to back. Keyed to the other extremity Vof the shaft D is a sprocket-wheel, L, having a chain-connection, L, ywith asimilar wheel, M, fast on a shaft, N, that has its bearings e in the seed-hopper O of my device. rIhe shaftN carries oppositely-arranged spiral conveyers P, that operate within a housing, Q, secured to the interior of the hopper O, said housing being provided with inlet openings f, that have their area regulated by means of a slide, g, and a central outlet-opening, h, through which the seed is forced by the action of the conveyers P.

The hopper O is preferably of rectangular form with tapering sides and ends; and in order to facilitate the flow of the seed to the conveyors P, I employ incline plates i, that lead down from said hopper ends to the inletopeningsf of the housing Q.

Keyed to the horizontal main shaft D is a large beveled gear-wheel, R, that meshes with the bevel-toothed hub S of a distributer, S, this hub fitting a detachable sleeve, T, on a vertical shaft, U, that is steppedin a stud, i', of the bracket C, said sleeve being made fast in an arm, k, of this bracket, while the distributer is prevented from vertical displacement by a collar, m, fast on the latter shaft.

The vertical shaft U is provided near its lower end with a bevel gear-wheel, U, that meshes with a similar Wheel, U2, on the main shaft D. rlhe sleeve T, that is simply a section of ordinary tubing, forms a bearing for both the distributer-hub S and the vertical shaft U, and when worn by the friction of both-these parts can be readily replaced at a trifling cost, this being an especial feature of my device, from the fact that this sleeve takes up all the wear that would otherwise come on said hub and vertical shaft, it being of softer material than either of the latter in order to accomplish this result. An annulus, W, is suitably ICO secured in a circular casing,Y Q, the latter forming a continuation of the hopper Q, and this annulus W is provided with right-angular wings n, that extend in toward the center.

Loosely journaled to the vertical shaft U, near its upper end, is a shel1,X, that is also provided with right-angular wings19,that come under the corresponding parts of the annulus, and in connection therewith form a series of passages for the seed as itis forced down from the housing Q through the outlet-opening It.

Between two of the wings on the shell X, I

mshaft U is made fast a cut-off, composed of a sages.

transverse arm, t, that has its ends terminated in segment-plates t', the latter covering certain ofthe openings to the seed-passages, while the openings to the other of said passages in the series are exposed. Immediately below the shell X'the shaft U has fast thereon a disk, Y, provided with diametrically-opposed openings u, having an area equal to that of the several seed-passages when the latter are adj usted to their greatest extent, said openings in the disk being in register with the central part of the segment-plates t', that form parts 'of the revolving cut-off. The solid part of the disk Y forms a movable bottom for the several seed-passages, and its openings uare brought into register with one and another of said pas- Thus while the seed is accumulating in one set of passages that already collected in others of the series will be escaping through the openings in the disk Y down into a delivery-shell, Z, from 'whence it is nally discharged onto the distributer S.

rlhe delivery-shell Z is cup-shaped, and divided into two compartments by a transverse partition, v, each of these compartments being provided with an escape-opening, Y', for

-the seed. The central hub, w, of the shell Z ts upon the shaft U and forms a bearing for the latter, while projecting from the rim of said shell are perforated flanges w', through which pass bolts wf, that engage curved slotsz in the horizontal portion of the ame, each bolt being, provided with a set-nut, z. vBy this means the shell Zmay be readily adjusted to regulate the throw of the seed; or, in other words, by this adjustment the seed may be equally distributed on each side the center of the machine, or more or less thrown to one side only thereof.

The interior faces of' each compartment of the delivery-shell lead directly to the escapeopening at the bottom, and thus the seed is evenly fed to the distributer with the least posvsible resistance, and to prevent said seed escaping from between the adjacent edges of the annulus W, disk Y, and shellX, I provide said shell with upwardly-extended flanges u u2, the

oneufitting a corresponding offsetted portion,

n', of the annulus, and the onen2 coming inside the shell.

Having thus fullydescribed my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a seeding-machine, the main shaft arranged to be operatively connected to' the.,

driving-power, and having its inner face provided with a'recessed projection,`in combination with an offsetted and flanged arm,also loose on the main shaft, another armpivotally united at its lower end to the former arm, and having its upper end engaged with the projection on the sprocket-wheel, a pawl carried by the latter rarm, and a ratchet-wheel keyed to said main shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In'aseeding-machine, a removable sleeve interposed between the revolving vertical shaft and the horizontal distributer, and means, substantially as described, for rotating said shaft and distributer, as set forth. y

4. In a seeding-machine, a rectangular tapering hopper provided with a circular extension that incloses the seed-pockets and an interior housing having inlet-openings in its top and a central outlet-opening in its bottom, in combination with a double conveyer operative IOC IIO

in the housing, and means,substantially as described, for rotating said conveyer, as set forth.

5. In a seeding-machine, a rectangular 'tapering hopper provided with a circular extension that incloses the seed-pockets, -an interior housing having inlet-openings in its top and a central outlet-opening in its bottom, an adjustable slide for the former openings, and inclined plates that lead down from the ends of the hopper .to said inlet-openings,- in combination 'with a double conveyer operative within the housing, and means, substantially as described, for rotating said conveyer, as set forth. y

6. In a seeding-machine, aixed annulus provided With inwardly-projecting right-angular wings, and an adjustable shell, also provided with right-angular Wings extended in a direction opposite those of the former, said parts arranged one above the other and forming a series of seed-passages, in combination with rotating` top and bottom cut-offs, arranged to close certain of the seed-passages while the others in the series are opened, and means, substantially as described, for operating said cnt-offs, as set forth.

7. In a seeding-machine, a iixed annulus provided with in wardly-projecting iight-aiignlar wings, a loose shell provided with right-alignlar wings extended in a direction opposite those ofthe former and having a web between two of its wings, to which is secured an adjusting-lever, said parts arranged one above the other and forming aseries of seed-passages, in combination 'with a rotating top cutoff consisting of a transverse arm terminating in segment-plates, a rotating bottoni cutoff consisting of a disk provided with diametricallyopposed openings that register with the een` tral part of the segment-plates, and means, substantially as described, for operating said cut-offs, as set forth.

the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of' Milwaukee and State of VVisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN S. FIELD.

Vitn ess es:

STANLEY S. SfroUT, N. E. OLIPILINT. 

